Antiskid device



N. ML HOPKINS.

v ANTISKID DEVICE} APPLICATION FILED ocr. 22,1919.

1,330, 1 15. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

. v 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

N. M. HOPKINS.

ANTISKLD DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED'OCT. 22. 1919.

after" f To whom it may concern j STATES PATENT oFmcE.

n'nvI Home norxms, or wns'nme'ron, ms'rmcr or COLUMBIA.

. ANTISKID nEvicE.

" Beit known that I,.NEV1L MONROE Horms, a citizen of the United Statesyresiding. atWashington, District of. Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antiskid Devices, 'of which the following is a specification.

. wet or greasy. I have'found'that, by forcitire and because of the thus roughened sur-- face, the tires roadway.

' As a means for projecting the gritty mate- My vention .has for its object the p re-i "vention of skidding of motor-propelled vehicles having rubber tires. Skidding takes place when the surface of the .roadway is bly projecting a stream of granular gritty .material such as sand against the rubber tires of a-vehicle, the sand will adhere to the will not slip or slide on the rial, l prefer to use a motor-propelled fan by which is produced a blastof air toproject the sand against the tire. My invention also "includes the provision of an automatically- ,actu'ated valve for controlling the flow off -sand to the air blast; means for increasing the velocity of the air blastand other ha 1 will; appear from .the ,accom-- tures which panying description.

My invent-1onw1ll be readily understood-v by reference to the accompanymg drawings inwhiclbf' Figure lis a vertical section on plane I I;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on plane'IL- IIofFig.1;.

Fig. 3 is aiplan of Fig. 1; j Fig. 4 shows the device applied to an automobile; 3

Figs. 5 and 6 are, details showing the op- I eration'of the sandlvalve;

7 is. a diagramm tic illustration of a modification. f r

Referring to the drawings-Ids an elec- I tric motor mounted in. a casing 2'. v The shaft 3 of the motor, carries at jits'-outer"end,*fan

vanes 4, 4, preferably made of aluminunr or aluminum alloy, so that there may be a minimum of inertia, thus permitting the motor to come to speed as rapidly as possible. The vanes a, 4are mounted within-a casing 5 having .an opening 6, "(which may be oovt e with wirejnet ipg) 1 0* the ester air;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Fb. 10, 1920.

4 Original application med September 25,1919, Serial No. 326,199. Divided and this appfication filed October 4 22, 1919. Serial No. 332,389.

The current of air from the fan is delivered into a duct 7 which preferably has an extension nozzle, 8, which may be detachable and is curved to project the sand against the rubber-tire 20 of the wheel in a substana transverse pin or shaft 14 and has a depending flap 15 extending down into the duct 7. This flap 15 is preferably weighted preferably sufliciently to cause it to normally and automatically close the sand delivery opening.

This duct is constricted by means of 1nwardly extending inclined members 1-6,'pref- .era-bly. arranged; on the four sides of the duct; :The' upper member 16 extends at its 1 end into the-duct 7 a. suificient distance to preventthej blast of air from directly meet. .ing the; valve '12 The contracted. form of the-ductjjust, in front of the point at which the' sa'nd is delivered,'eauses a' concentrated blast of air to carry the sand at'a high rate speed jthmngh the duct and deliver it against/the rubber tire.

The flap valve, when the device is not in raised into the dotted line position and the valve- 12 is opened, permitting the sand to flow out of thehopper and'into the air blast.

I It is of importance that the end of the delivery tube 11 be beveled, as shown in Fig. 6, since by this arrangement, even if grainsof sand should lodge between the valve and the edge of thetube near the pivot, the valve will still keep the tube closed. If, however,

1 use hangs downin the full-line position and keeps't'l1e valve 12closed. When, however,

' the blastof a'irstrikes this fiap',15, it is,

the end of the tube 11 'is horizontal as shown in Fig. 5, the lodging of sand will keepthe valve slightly open and the sand will flow out as shown e'ven over the upturned lip of the valve.

.The sand-hopper 10 megs. an dit,

tiopal supply opening 26 g. ;1 to which a may lead to a stora e box located within the body of the automo ile.

, close the circuit.

is'connected supply tube 17 (Fig. 3) which Fig. 7 illustrates a modified arrangement in which the valve 12 is automatically operated by a solenoid, 17, in series or multiple circuit with the motor 1, and the battery 18. An operating switch 19, serves to open and As soon asthe switch is closed the motor is startedand'the valve is moved into open position. When the switch is opened themotor stops and the spring retracts the valve'to closed position. v

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

When the roadway is sllppery or greasy, the closing of the electric circuit will. cause the motor to operate the fan to produce a blast, whose velocity is increased by the constrictions in the duct. The valve either by l the action of the solenoid'or by the action sand only onto one wheel, it is'obvious that of the blast on flap 15 opens automatically, and the sand is driven forcibly against the tire to which it adheres, thus preventing skidding by causing the sanded tire surface to grip the roadway.

While I have referred to sand as the material used, any other suitable gritty or adherent material, such as ashes, sawdust, Portland. cement, or a mixture of such substances may be used. My invention is applicable to electrically driven vehicles, as well as to vehicles driven by internal combustion or steam engines.

While I have shown means for delivering asecond duct may be connected to the fan fordelivery of sand to another wheel.

The motor and fan are shown "as mounted horizdntally but they may just as well be arranged to have the shaft vertical, and this arrangement is.particularly advantageous y when two blast tubes are used.

The subject matter of this applicationis related to the subject matter of my co-pending application I claim":

1. An anti-skid device for motor vehicles comprising a duct for discharging abrasive material, a fan for ejecting the said material out of the duct, means for actuatin the fan and means for feeding the materia intothe zone of action of the fan.

2.' An anti-ski device for-motor vehicles comprising a duct for discharging abrasive material, a fan for ejecting the said material out of the duct, means. for actuating the fan, means for feeding the material intoAJ he' zone of action of the fair and means fforcontrolling the said feeding means.

3. An antikid-device for motor vehicles comprising a duct for discharging abrasive material, a fan for ejecting the said material Serial No. 326,199 filed Sept. 1

out of the. duct,means for actuating the fan,

means for feeding the material into the zone of action of the fan and means responsive to the action of the actuating means for con-.

trolling the said feeding means.

.4. An anti-skid devicezfor motor vehicles comprising a duct for discharging abrasive material, a fan for ejecting the said material out of the duct, a motor for actuating the fan, means for feedmg the material into the zone of action of the fan and means responsive to the action of the motor for controlling the feeding means.

4 5. An anti-skiddevice for motor vehicles comprising a duct for discharging abrasive material, a'fan for ejecting the said material out of the duct, a motor for actuating the fan, means-forfeeding the material into the zone of action of the fan, a valve for controlling the said feeding means and means constructed and arranged to open the valve when the motor is in operation and to closethe valve when the motor is inoperative.

'6. An a'nti-sln'd device for motor vehicles comprising a duct for discharging abrasive material, a fan for ejecting the said material out of the duct, a' motor for actuating the' fan, means for feeding the material into the zone of action of the fan, a valve for controlling the said feeding means and means responsive to the speed of the motor for controlling said valve.

7. An anti-skid device for rubber tired vehicles comprising a motor, a fan driven by said motor, a duct arranged to deliver,

the blast of air from the fan on to the tire,

and a sandreceptacle having a valve for 9. In an anti-skid device for, rubber tired vehicles, a duct, means for'causing a blast to flow therethrough, a sand receptacle having an opening into said duct, a valve for closingsaidopening, said valve having openingthe blast;

V 10. A device' as claimed in claim 9. which the valve'operating means comprises a flap depending into the duct. v

11. A device as claimed in claim 9 in leans arranged to be actuated by which the sand receptacle has a deliverytu-be I havin a beveledfend.

12. device as claimed in claim 11 in which the valveha's a and-retaining li 13. In an anti-skid device for rubber-tired I vehicles, a blast-pipe, a sand hopper'mounted above said pipe, a delivery tube from said hopper, aflap valve for opening and closing said delivery tube, and constrictin means said delivery tube, said valve having an opin said pipe arranged to prevent t e blast erating member arranged to depend intothe from striking the valve. 'blast pipe, and constricting means in said 10 14. In an anti-skid device for rubber-tired pipe arranged toprevent the blast froni -5 vehicles, a blast pipe, a sand hopper m0untstriking the valve. 7

ed above said pipe, a delivery tube from said In testimon whereof, I affix my signature hopper, a flap valve for opening and closing NE IL MON ROE HOPKINS. 

